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Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin helped India recover after Australia’s Nathan Lyon claimed five wickets on the second day of the Test in New Delhi.
Patel and Ashwin provided a superb rearguard response to help India overcome Lyon’s spin master class as the hosts almost matched Australia’s first innings total of 263 on a dramatic day.
Patel smashed 74 and dominated a 114-run eighth-wicket partnership with Ashwin to help India post 262 all out after slumping to 139-7 in the second session.
Australian Nathan Lyon bowls during the second day
Australia were moved to 61-1 in the final 12 overs of the day though they lost Usman Khawaja, top scorer in the first innings, to a stunning reflex catch at leg slip by Shreyas Iyer.
Travis Head batted on a run-a-ball 39 at stumps, with Marnus Labuschagne on 16 at the other end.
“If we can restrict it to 220-250 in the second innings, I think it will be good,” Patel told reporters.
“The wickets are getting slower. We have to work hard and bowl consistently in the right areas because the wickets are not going to come easy.”
Earlier, after bowling out Australia for a modest total on Saturday, India cruised in control at 46 without loss before Lyon (5-67) turned the match on its head.
The unbeaten players took India’s top order to 66-4.
India’s Axar Patel raises his bat to celebrate his half-century score
Australia blew all three reviews inside 25 overs but Lyon, leading the tourists’ three-pronged spin attack, continued chipping away at India’s top order.
The off-spinner trapped KL Rahul lbw for 17 and, two balls later, had a strong lbw appeal against Cheteshwar Pujara turned down.
Pujara couldn’t get the most of the reprieve though as Lyon, in the next over, struck a double blow.
The off-spinner bowled Indian captain Rohit Sharma (32) and trapped Pujara lbw for a duck in the batsman’s Test 100.
Peter Handscomb took a brilliant catch at short leg to remove Iyer from Lyon.
Virat Kohli (44) joined forces with Ravindra Jadeja in a 59-run stand to stage a mini-recovery but both fell to the spinners in the second session.
Todd Murphy removed Jadeja for 26 but debutant Matt Kuhnemann dealt a bigger blow when he trapped Kohli lbw for his first Test wicket.
Australia’s Usman Khawaja, left, walks off the field as the Indian players celebrate their dismissal
Australia looked poised for a significant first-innings lead but Patel and Ashwin forged the only century-plus partnership of the match to frustrate them.
All-rounder Patel brought up his fifty in style, hitting Kuhnemann over deep mid-wicket for a six.
Cummins dismissed Ashwin for 37 and took a stunning catch at mid-wicket to send Patel back as India were all out for 262.
“Obviously, I’ve been looking at all these test matches and what role I have to play in the second half,” Lyon said of his outlook. “It’s great, but there’s still a lot to do.”
Australian opener David Warner, who was hit in the head while batting on Friday, has ruled out the rest of the match with Matt Renshaw coming in as a concussion substitute.
India take a 1-0 lead in the four-test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a comprehensive victory in Nagpur.
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